27” x 26.5”
Our family’s work jeans, starting with my Dad’s in the Center. Includes my own, my kids, my partner Adam's, and my brother's.*
 
Shortly after my dad passed, I went looking for his leather jacket. My mom had gifted it with most of his belongings, to friends and goodwill. She pointed in the direction of the tent where there was a bag of stuff destined for the dump. In it, I found his work jeans, stained with grease from his hands, from working around the yard and in the shop.
I held on to them for a while before I came up with the idea to make the rug. I hadn’t made one before. There wasn’t enough material to do it alone. I pilfered my partner Adam’s drawer and stole his dirtiest pair of work jeans, then I had my own, and some little jeans the kids had played hard in and grown out of. Next, I called my brother, and he delivered about 14 pairs of work jeans he had accumulated, so I picked the most used pair of the lot. My mom doesn’t wear jeans, but I have another project in mind for her.
I tore and braided them all together in a spiral, starting with my dad’s and working my way out. The cathartic process got me right in the flow, and once I started, it wasn’t long before it was done. I could sit for hours stitching and thinking.
I think of the generations before me, and the privilege I have because of the work others do. I am grateful I am making art, and I am sorry for those who are suffering in the capitalist scheme. There’s rich symbolism in this rug.
I hope that I can include the patron’s jeans in this piece to connect them to the work and continue the growth of the rug into the community. Ideally, I think it should be on the floor, to feel beneath bare feet, a welcoming portal in the doorway of your home or studio.